According to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the tiger was first spotted Wednesday night by a deputy near the River Industrial Park in Knoxville.
At around 7 a.m. local time Thursday morning, Knoxville police said they had received reports of a tiger sighting near the city’s Thorngrove Pike. Crews were sent to investigate the area. Multiple calls regarding possible sightings were also received overnight.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has also set up a trap baited with chickens. If caught, the tiger will be transported to Tiger Haven, an animal protection organization in Roane County, Tennessee.
“The Knox County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Units, Animal Control, Air Watch, TWRA, KPD’s [Knoxville Police Department’s] Animal Control Unit and Representatives with Tiger Haven are working to locate a tiger that was spotted by a KCSO Deputy in the Forks of the River Industrial Park tonight,” the Knox County Sheriff’s Office said in a Wednesday news release.
As of now, officials are unsure as to where the tiger escaped from.
Officials at Zoo Knoxville told local outlet WVLT that all tigers at the facility have been accounted for as of Thursday morning. Tiger Haven and the Little Ponderosa Zoo in Anderson County, Tennessee, also said they weren’t missing any tigers.
